Serena Smith: Owner of Hot Yoga Queensbury

Hot Yoga Queensbury, located at 118 Quaker Road in Queensbury, is an open, loving, non-judgmental space for people to feel safe and grow. Owner Serena Smith and her team of 16 instructors are committed to helping to support people physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. 

Hot Yoga can improve flexibility, range of motion, balance, posture and strength. It’s a cardiovascular workout… Higher temperatures can burn more calories by elevating your heart rate, and Hot Yoga can increase your circulation and have a relaxing effect on your muscles. Being exposed to heat can improve endurance and capacity to build muscle, and the controlled and healthy stress applied during hot yoga can build mental stamina and resilience. There are also other effects that help improve quality of life, including improving bone mineral density, sleep quality, pulmonary function, and psychological health.

The studio at Hot Yoga Queensbury is a state-of-the-art studio with infrared technology, which provides a sun like warmth which enhances your yoga experience – the infrared heat does not heat the air, it heats the body and the room… This promotes a deep sweat to help eliminate toxins and allow muscles and joints to stretch. The studio is also equipped with a Dyson purification unit to provide the best possible air quality. 

The Hot Yoga Queensbury instructors are Yoga Alliance certified, and are trained in First Aid, CPR, and AED use. 

Serena Smith – proud owner of Hot Yoga Queensbury – took over ownership in October of 2022. She has a background in the hospitality industry, and began taking yoga in 2015… Prior to taking over Hot Yoga Queensbury, Serena owned a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a food truck! “The entrepreneurial spirit is something that has blossomed out of me. I have passion for these industries,” she said. 

Serana has worked to create a very inclusive community at Hot Yoga Queensbury, and would like to invite more people to drop in for a class or join one of their upcoming events. Her staff of 16 instructors each bring a diverse skill set to their classes so there is something for everyone.  Her staff have a variety of playlists that set a tone for each workout, and highlight each for their individual personality: “Yoga is something that can be enjoyed at an early age (and) throughout life. We have fifteen-year-old kids, and we have adults in their seventies… Everyone finds what works for them, and everyone can work at their own pace,” Serena said. 

Hot Yoga Queensbury has a variety of upcoming events that are open to the public: on Sunday, May 7th, they are holding a meditation & writing workshop from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM! This is a thoughtful 90-minute introspective workshop that will combine meditation, visualization, and gentle yoga poses with journaling prompts. 

On Sunday June 4th, Yoga on West Mountain begins. These are 60-minute all levels Vinyasa classes, which take place on the summit of West Mountain in Queensbury, New York. The cost per class is $40, and they are held every Sunday through October 15th! This price includes a lift ticket, and there are also more events listed on the Hot Yoga Queensbury website. 

Senera cares about community and creating events that help others… To promote giving back to the community Serena opens the yoga studio for charity events: “We have been doing a once a month donation class… So it’s a free class that anyone can come to, and it’s taught by different teachers who donate their time to teach the class… I donate the space, and we pick a charity. We recently chose WAIT House, and they were collecting household cleaning supplies and materials so you could come and donate a cleaning product and take the class,” she said. The mission of WAIT House is to provide stability to youth who present themselves as homeless.

The priority of Hot Yoga Queensbury is that people feel included and comfortable, and Serena is proud of the community that she is helping to build: “When people show up for those donation classes, they really show up. We got tons of stuff that we have been able to donate to charity… That’s a way for us to give back. It feels really good. That’s what yoga is about. People love it.”

For more information, please visit hotyogaqueensbury.com